The 'Subtle' Approach
by OKami-hu
Summary: Megatron decides that Cybertron is in need of a change of direction... and knows Optimus well enough to know that he'll take a bit of convincing.


Hello there. This fic is another co-written project; my part this time was artoni. I asked her if she wanted to put this up on her account or not, and she forgot to answer, so I decided to do it. If she has problems with it, I'll remove. So grab it while it's hot.

* * *

The faint mechanical hum that constantly drifted in the air usually had a calming, relaxing effect on Optimus, but right now, due to the situation he ended up in, it was just another annoyance. First, he was ambushed. By unknown troops nonetheless, and they weren't any bit gentle, even if they played for capturing him. Optimus' head was still fuzzy from the effect of their stun weapons. Then while he was weak and for a while, unconscious, they brought him here, and chained him to the wall. The strain in his arms was really distracting right now, and his wounded side was throbbing dully. Nobody had informed him, just why he was here. Really, he was always a patient mech, kind and understanding, but at the moment, his urge to kill was rising. Steadily.

The Lord High Protector had been observing the captive for some time, via a feed; simply watching Prime, waiting for some sign of life. His orders had been strict; Optimus was not to be killed. His troops had apparently caught the silent 'or maimed', though it would have been foolish to tell them not to hurt him. Prime would not have come willingly, and not alone.

Finally, Megatron stood, and made his way into the detention block. The Cybertronian serving as guard quickly stood at attention, and just as quickly fled when Megatron gave him the order. He moved towards the cell, and slid open the door, watching Prime intently.

At the hissing of the entrance, Optimus looked up, defiance written all over his noble features. His optics gave a surprised flash as he identified the tall silvery mech, though.

"Megatron..!" He scowled slightly. "What is the meaning of all this? Get me released." Despite his previous feelings, he was calmer now - he had known the Lord Protector for longer than he cared to remember. With the long acquaintance came respect and even fondness; there was a reason he called the other 'brother'.

Wordlessly, Megatron stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He moved over to the side of the cell, reaching for the source of the feed, and promptly crushed it in his hand.

"We must speak, Prime."

"Couldn't you just ask...?" Optimus was glaring now. "You know that I always have the time for you. Now, let me go, please. Those thugs scratched my side." Surely it was some joke gone out of hand. Megatron was way above such senseless violence. He was a good leader, and Optimus trusted him.

Megatron met Optimus's gaze, a thin, and not entirely comforting smile spreading across his face. "I'd rather get this out first, my friend." He started to approach. "I believe a...change...in Cybertron's leadership is in order."

Optimus blinked a few times. What-? Very slowly, a chilling unease crept up on his spine. Little signs... glances... soldiers suddenly going quiet when he approached... A strange gleam in Megatron's ruby optics. Signs, which meant nothing, but this single sentence suddenly linked them up, forming a threatening warning sign.

He did his best to ignore it.

"I don't understand that," Optimus said finally. "What is wrong with the current leadership? Cybertron is stronger than ever, we're prosperous, we live in peace since eons. The people trust us. What should be changed, brother?"

And abruptly, Megatron was in Optimus's face, optics narrowed to slits. "We are going -nowhere-, 'brother'," he practically hissed. "With the power of the AllSpark, we could go far beyond just Cybertron - we could spread out over the entire galaxy, the universe, lay claim to it! All that power..."

It'd been long Optimus was last scared by anything. But in that moment, as he looked right into those dark whirlpools in the other's intense red gaze, he could feel a chill tighten around his Spark. The Lord Protector he actually admired, apparently gave in to temptation, and the Prime was too blind, oh, so blind to notice it until now... And maybe it was already too late.

"Megatron," Optimus tried to reason, voice soft and slightly pleading. "What more could we gain from claiming the galaxy? We already have everything. Moreover, the AllSpark is still a mystery, one couldn't possibly hope to use it. It just works as it is, giving us its blessings. No-one can hold it alone lest he is bent on perishing."

"No, Prime, we do not have everything. And you underestimate what we could accomplish if we only tried..."

He put his hands on the wall on either side of Optimus, staring into his optics with a maniac gleam.

"With the AllSpark, we could get -anything- we desired, anything and everything this galaxy has to offer. Our species will rule it, and I them, with you behind me."

Optimus stirred, involuntarily trying to back away from Megatron.

"How exactly would you like to go about those plans, brother?" He had his guesses, but he needed to know. Maybe there was still reason behind the madness... Maybe it was not as bad as it looked.

The gleam spread over to the rest of Megatrons's face as he spoke lowly, gaining momentum and volume with each word. "The AllSpark is pure power; all I must do is harness it. It can give life, surely it can much more...even -take- it away from those that dare stand in my way. And with it, Cybertron will become the undeniable seat of power in the galaxy...all others will be FORCED to bow down before us!"

The last was practically a triumphant shriek; but through his little speech, it was obvious that Megatron truly believed it could be done. And, as he'd said, much more.

"That is madness!" Optimus protested. His hopes were crumbling at the sight of the Lord Protector's apparent insanity. Obviously, he was consumed by the hunger for power. "The AllSpark is raw energy, it will not let you to take control. It'll destroy you, Megatron! And above that, you want to use your power for destruction! What happened to you? You'd sweep across worlds, eliminating life and crush everything we believe in, freedom and justice!"

"It will only destroy me if I allow it," Megatron said patiently, as if explaining simple mathematics to a Sparkling. "Any power can be controlled, Prime...don't you see what could be achieved!?"

He moved his claws to grip Optimus's arms, slitting his optics. "You know as well as I that true peace can only come when the power followed is unquestioned...everything else will follow."  
"Every being... every sentient being has the right to choose its leaders!" Optimus shot back. "A leader is the servant of all, he stays in place because he earned the respect of his subjects. You used to believe in those ideals once, and now, you're about to tarnish them! What is it you want, what is it you can't get the peaceful way?"

"Times change," Megatron replied quietly. "I simply changed with them. What's more, I am not alone in my thinking...I'm certain you caught a glimpse of some of those that brought you here. My most trusted followers." A thin smile, before his voice took on a slightly urgent tone, and he tightened his grip. "Join them, brother, join -me-. Help me, and I will take Cybertron to a golden age that will make this one seem as rust in comparison..."

"I cannot do that, and you probably know it, inside your Spark..." Optimus shook his head slowly. "You'd only take our beloved home into a mindless war. Most of the population loves peace, and they're not warriors, they will protest." He looked into the other's red optics, sad but defiant. "I don't want Cybertron's name be stained, and used as a curse on the lips of thousands of other races."

A stretch of silence from the Lord High Protector as he met Optimus' optics, not moving. Turning the words over in his processor.

"You haven't listened to me," he mused, moving his hands towards Optimus's shoulders, fingers tracing patterns on the dermal plating as they made their way down. "No one will dare to use Cybertron's name that way...they'll speak it reverently, /we will be as gods to them/."

Prime twitched lightly; the tender touches were soothing, they conveyed a false kindness. "Gods of destruction, to be feared and despised, without all the wonders but with twice the demands. No, Megatron, this is against everything I believe in. Life is sacred, taking it is a sin, and you can't offer me anything to change my mind. You hold nothing in your hands but pain."

Curse his blindness, his good intentions. What a fool he had been to not pay attention to the whispers…! Optimus knew it was entirely his fault - he didn't notice his companion to change, to fall into the clutches of darkness... Maybe if he had paid more attention, Megatron could have been saved. But now, it was all beyond repair. The leader's blue optics flickered off, and he bowed his head in shame.

As Optimus lowered his head, Megatron brought his closer, turning it to whisper directly into the other's audio receptors. "Pain is only for those that defy me, Prime," he whispered, hands now following the edges of his armor, finding and following paths in them. One made its way up to his helm, taking a slightly firmer grip to turn it.

"Look at me."

Hesitantly, Optimus complied. "I will have to defy you, brother, no matter how dear I held you once. I will try to stop you... unless you kill me here and now."

Megatron's eyes flashed briefly in annoyance. "I don't want to kill you," he murmured, rubbing the edges of Optimus's faceplates. "But you -need- to see my point of view. You're not thinking of anything beyond what you're used to..."

As he spoke, his free hand became a bit more aggressive, probing under the plating, almost relentless in its search.  
Suddenly, with a huff of the ventilation system, Optimus jerked away from the probing fingers - they found a sensitive spot under his armor, and the touch of another's energy field sent a small rush of pleasure through his sensory grid.

"Megatron... stop this. I see perfectly what's going on - you became selfish. I value the wishes of others, while you have only your own desires in sight. You want to conquer, but not for all the material benefits. You merely pursue the feel of power, and this will be your demise."

Megatron growled, but a thin, almost triumphant smile formed on his face. Immediately, he searched for that spot again with all the intent to attack it.

"Selfish, am I? If I was just selfish, I'd kill you now and take the AllSpark for my own, then leave our planet to become slag. I want to guide it," he clarified, the words sounding very much like a Cybercat's purr.

Optimus was shivering. It would have been a lie to say, he didn't dream about his companion's touch at times, on long, quiet nights, but now, despite the pleasure it brought, the contact felt simply wrong. The deep voice was merely oil on the fire - so deep and sensual, but it carried hateful echoes.

"Don't do this to me, brother...! You won't be able to convince me, I'll never stand behind a tyrant!"

"Shhh," Megatron offered in response, letting go of Optimus's head only enough to put a finger against his faceplate in a silencing gesture. "You say that now..."

A final, strong probe of his field, aimed and focused at that singular spot he'd found, and then he was searching again, violently, pressing himself against Optimus's frame as he searched for more. More ways to make the other /feel/.

"...but let me show you what I...we could have."

Optimus groaned as the eager and merciless touches sent sizzles through his circuitry. The chains rattled as he pulled at them, trying to get free while making desperate attempts to tone down his body's sensitivity. His wiggling, however, just got himself being pressed even tighter against the larger, silvery frame, making Prime's engines to rev loudly.

"I don't want that..." he moaned out a bit shakily. "Let me go, Megatron...! Your touch is like acid... It scorches."

"Then let it rid you of your thoughts!" Megatron growled, field intensifying for a split-second as his anger rose...and then, it and his touches become gentler...but only slightly. He -would- have this. Optimus. Having the other at his mercy like this gave him a sense of power that he couldn't deny...selfish? Greedy? Perhaps a little.

He preferred to consider himself 'determined'. But whatever it was called, it didn't change the fact that he would get what he wanted. And right now, as his hands delved underneath Optimus's plating, focusing on the wires and circuitry underneath, he decided he wanted the other to squirm.

"Nn!" Prime indeed squirmed, and his voice was pained; his wound was disturbed by all the movement. His fingers curled into fists as he threw his head back and shut off his optics. He was concentrating on his delicate insides, trying to close out the pleasure, which steadily wormed his way inside, aiming at his Spark; its dark tendrils weaving themselves into his sensory grid. His body was already protesting, it warned him of overheating, various little glitches, steadily building excess energy, which could cause overload. His ventilation system's hum grew louder as it tried to cope with the raising temperature.

"You will not win me... not with this!" Optimus rasped, his voice echoing with static. "You may crush me and humiliate me... but I will not become your slave!"

Another smile formed on Megatron's face. It wasn't a nice one. Seeing Optimus struggle, trying vainly to escape his ministrations...there was only one way to have this end. Only one way that would make this perfect.

"You'll bend or you'll break, brother. Stand behind me, or bow before," he intoned, massaging a power cable as he traced a way to Optimus' Spark chamber and the plating that surrounded it. "You can't stop me."

Prime's frame tensed up, and he couldn't hold back a cry... that cable was extremely sensitive, and few ever dared to touch it before. It was terrible, how his most secret wishes were coming true... in such a twisted fashion.

'Anything but that, not there, please, Megatron, don't... Do not taint me...!' Optimus prayed inwardly, but he indeed wasn't able to stop the other... Merely helplessly watch and feel, as the agile, silver fingers inched closer to the place the core of his very being resided. He could feel how wildly it throbbed, from revulsion and fright.

At such a positive response, Megatron tightened his grip on the cable, trying to evoke another cry. It was almost...beautiful. And as much as it made him hunger for stimulation...right now, Optimus' overload was more important. Quite selfless of him.

He abandoned the cable to put his hands on the Spark chamber, stroking it lovingly. "Open," he commanded in a low murmur.

Instead of another cry, there was a desperate, strained whimper, and Optimus cringed again - the pleasure was too intense. He let his head fall forward as Megatron released him, but at the gentle touch, he looked up. He hated this, hated how Megatron was betraying his trust, how helpless he was, and had be been free, he'd have attempted to rip the -former- Lord Protector's head off. But his optics, bright blue and easy to read, betrayed him - one could see the despair in them, and the pain, aside the anger.

"No. You don't deserve it."

There wasn't any way to respond to that...except with a chuckle, and to bring his head close enough to Optimus' to rest forehead against forehead. His red optics glowed brilliantly, though what they held within them was as dark as void.

Without warning, his grip on the casing went from gentle to cruel as he dug his claws in and tried to pull it open through brute force.

Metal ground under the pressure and Optimus' spine arched, ready to snap. The searing pain wrung a shrill cry from his vocalizer. His range of vision was almost completely blocked by error warnings, and his audio-sensors malfunctioned, only catching up the inner static.  
"Stop... Please...!" Oh, where was his pride now, the noble intention to go down but never surrender...? His Spark was wailing, almost trying to pull deeper inside... But, Optimus suddenly realized, that he had to leave this place, and alive. Nobody would be able to stop Megatron from getting the AllSpark if he died here. He had no other choice, but to suffer from his ignorance now, and then, try to prevent the disaster.

"I'll... comply, please, let go...!"

Interesting that this was what it took to cause a change - almost too quick of one, but right now, it was what Megatron wanted to hear. Though he didn't release his grip, he did ease up enough so it wouldn't be so painful. "Was that so hard?" he asked, curiosity mingling with amusement mingling with something else. Though Optimus had given in, he wasn't quite finished yet.

Prime didn't reply, just looked away, and as his optics dimmed out, he slowly, hesitantly unlocked the closing mechanisms on his Spark chamber. The protective layers of armor slid to the side with a soft hiss, and beneath them, the glowing, beautiful energy-core became visible. Raw energy pounded in it, emitting a pure, soft light.

Optimus shivered. He could feel the malicious ruby gaze on his core... but it was a way to atonement.

The light that a Spark emitted had always fascinated Megatron; life and power given material form. He stared at it, multiple thoughts running through his processor...chief of which was that -this- was the power he sought to control. No, the power he /would/ control.

He reached for it.

Every single wire tensed in Optimus' body, his neuro-grid felt like melting. The touch on his Spark... It was so wonderful, so intimate. For a nanosecond, he even enjoyed it - he yearned for his brother's touch, a moment of ecstasy as their Sparks joined - and his body relished in the intense pleasure, but at the same time, it felt so horribly wrong. It burned like acid, it tainted him. His mind was screaming in protest, but on the outside, he writhed from the exquisite agony, his cries turning into static noise. Blue sizzles started to appear on his frame, indicating that the final surge was not far away. His armor was already hot from the inside heat, and the ventilation system was about to give up.

Feeling the Spark's energy sent a surge of want through Megatron's mind - his own Spark pulsed in want. How tempted he was to open his own casing and bond them right then and there...no, he told himself firmly. Not yet. When Optimus had brought him the AllSpark, then he would join with him, mingle their energies in an almighty surge...

"Soon," he growled, scraping the inside of the chamber as he fought to twist the Spark inside, "Soon..."

No screams came, no curses or pleading to the stars - merely a pitiful, weak whimper, as Prime's frame seemed to shrink, trying to curl around the overloaded core. The sizzles over his frame grew larger and brighter as the excess energy was releases in a violent wave, and it rushed through his entire frame, purging he sensory grid, temporally frying out nearly everything. Even his CPU went all disoriented, so for a few blissful seconds, he felt only peace and contentment. Part of him wanted to snuggle close to the larger, silvery frame, feel those arms around his waist, their protective, secure weight... But the feeling was blown away, as the most important systems rebooted, leaving Optimus feeling drained, empty and filthy.

Megatron could feel the released energy, and reveled in it, trying to soak up as much as he could. His field pulsed, echoing his silent cry for /more/...but all too soon, Optimus went still. Smiling, Megatron removed his hand from the Spark casing, but not with a final stroke and whisper into Optimus's receptors:

"Bring me the AllSpark, Prime, and that is only a -taste- of what I can give you."

"You'll have to release me first..." the silent reply came. Optimus wasn't sure if his legs could hold him, but he was determined to try and walk on his own, until he can switch to alt-mode.

He chuckled again. "Of course." With that, he reached up for the chains, skillfully starting to distangle them from Optimus's arms. "I'm so glad we could see optic-to-optic on this matter. I would have hated to end you."

Optimus merely nodded. That would have been a pity, indeed... As soon as he was released, his knees bucked a bit, and the pain in his side caused him to wince and involuntarily grab after Megatron's frame, to stay upright.

And Megatron was there to catch him, offer his support and strength to keep Optimus from falling. A small touch that made him smile once more. He pulled Optimus a bit closer, quietly marveling at how different he was in this state from the proud figurehead most Cybertronians knew him as.

The emotional pain caused by that gentle touch was already dull. Optimus could feel his feelings to evaporate, and getting replaced by cold calculation, thirst for revenge, steel-hard determination to stop Megatron from getting what he wants. But for the last time... ha had to utter the words he never could. If he did, they'll vanish forever, leaving him in peace. He didn't look up, knowing well the other could read his optics.

"I love you, brother."

Only inwardly did he add: 'But this will not keep me from killing you, if I have to.'


End file.
